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A good friend and I are planning to come down tonight and fish the pier this weekend with my 13 year old sons and a couple of their friends. Just looking for a little bit of advice to help us be a successful while down there. I've read a lot of the post on here and have learned a lot. But I've never been fishing down there this time of year so any advice you locals have would be greatly appreciated
First off, fishing hasn't been real great recently, so if you don't have a lot of luck, it's not just you. Unless you are fishing for kings, keep your tackle light, about the 12# class and your hooks in the #4 to #2 range, presuming tht you are bait fishing. Use fresh dead, never frozen shrimp (not squid) available at Hooked Up tackle at the base of the Hy 59 bridge into Gulf shores on the east side. Live shrimp are great, too, but don't weigh them down with a big sinker, just let them drift for Speckled trout. For Spanish, use a bubble rig or Gotcha. DO NOT use those pre-made, double hook, black plastic coated, wire leader bottom rigs. Check the reports for what has been biting lately and use the search feature to get more info on how to catch what. Make a trip to J&M Tackle in Orange beach. Be sure to buy a "ribbon rig" to catch LYs for bait. Be careful in the heat and best of luck.
The curse of the fishing reports that vary between 'nothing today' and 'pretty good today' dictates that I bring half of everything I own.
Let me assure kball9123 that there is more than a "little bit of advice" in Haywire's reply. That one paragraph will easily cut several years off the learning curve of any angler new to the pier.
Be friendly, talk to folks, watch and learn, ask questions. Welcome to the greatest place on Earth. Oh and most the regulars that know a lot, arrive early, hangout on the Octi, and love a good donut. Tight lines!
Jelly donuts will take you a long way. Don't be afraid to ask. There are a few sourpusses on the pier but are greatly outnumbered by nice guys.
I am planning to start fishing about 3-4 a.m. and fish for as much as I can until Sunday morning. I am going to pick up some bubble rigs on my way down. thanks everyone for the advise. Maybe I can can put some fish in the cooler. I do not plan to come home empty handed. Even if I have to put pin fish on ice lol
Also, don’t forget to post a report, we love reports good or bad
You won't find a ton of pre-tied bubble rigs far from the Gulf, but a clear Tuff bubbles, black swivels, and florocarbon leader material will be available, and those are key components.
Cabela's in Huntsville-yes, Huntsville, Alabama had several pre-tied bubble rigs with McDonalds straws on the business end. They had a few other saltwater item such as leader wire but they must get theirs made of gold. I also noticed a lot of the Cabela's brand merchandise being phased out and lots of Bass Pro Shops merchandise in it's place. I asked a sales associate if they were eventually going to change all of the Cabelas stores to Bass Pro and he said "I can't say for sure, but I won't deny that is happening".
Be open to keeping different fish. Some people will not eat Blue fish. I cut them and put them in a bucket of water to bleed out for about five minutes then ice them. Later after some hours in ice I filet them and trim out the center blood streak. The filleted back strap off hardtails is good. Spade fish are good and I keep Bream size and larger and filet them. It is important to keep your fish well iced until cleaned and bagged. I have had many people change their mind about these “supposedly less desirable species” after eating some that I have prepared. I eat fish 3 to 5 times per week and like variety and trying new ways of preparation.
My cardiologist told me in 1990 that he thought I better get my affairs in order. I have 2 or 3 drinks of bourbon every night. My new cardiologist says my blood numbers are better than his and so long as I keep replacing my pacemaker every 7 or 8 years I have a future. He also tells me he will drink whiskey with me but he will not eat fish.
Also there is nothing wrong with the whiting and croakers you catch on the pier. I have even filleted some of the largest spotted pin fish and cooked then. BE OPEN MINDED.
Spot on. (no pun intended). My father used to take my brother and I down to the boat docks in Daytona where the fish house used to dump fish scraps in the water. We used to catch quite a few large Pins that he would meticulously fillet. He called them "Sailorman's Choice" After tasting the pan fried fillets I could see why.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldfisherman
Good plan!Quote:
Originally Posted by kball9123
If you like pinfish, you will LUV fishing this weekend ;-)
Yesterday I introduced a young man and his son to the wonderful world of pier fishing.
The water was 'lousy' for mackerel or trout (dingy), even spadefish were AWOL.
But it was a great morning to fish for white trout, croaker, pinfish and several other 'less than desirable' species (especially pinfish ;-)
So they had a good time and went home with a mess of white trout on top of that ;-)
https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...3d&oe=5D9AEEEE
Had a little hiccup this morning. The people's with us car broke down. And we had to drive an hour back to get them. And wait 3 hours for a trailer to come get the car. But I'm about 30 minutes out now ready to get on the pier and fish